Gun loading mechanism



June 6, 1944. c. P. CAULKINS aim LOADING MECHANISM Filed April 24, 1941 (Zea! BY Mnfla Patented June 6, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOADING MECHANISM CecilP. Caulkins, New London, Conn. Application Aprili24, 1941, Serial No. 390,083

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in gun loading mechanisms, and its object is to provide a simple and inexpensive arrangement for ex-peditiously loading explosive charges onto projectors ior'same.

This invention is more especially adapted for loading depth charges onto the arbors used with Y guns of the type shown in U. '8. Patent No. 1,311,780, issued to Andrew J. Stone, July27, 1919, and in my copending application Serial No. 340,459, filed June 14, 1940, although it is'not limited to such use. In guns of this type of the most commonly used size the charges weigh about four hundred and twenty pounds each and it has been necessary heretofore to have a' gun crew of five or six men as these heavy charges had to be lifted onto the arbors and the loading operation took about two and a half minutes to perform. Such guns are now used, in some cases, on high speed patrol boats which must carry as small a crew as possible and where rapid firing is essential. By the use of this invention a gun crew of two men can load the gun in less than forty-five seconds.

I will describe an embodiment of this invention in the following specification and point out its novel features in appended claims.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a Y gun, partly in. section, with a loading mechanism which embodies my invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper end of the gun shown in Fig. 1, drawn in section together with the, charge elevator in its uppermost position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of some of the parts shown in Fig. 2, with the charge and arbor turned around 90;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a part of the loading mechanism, with the charge elevator in its lowermost position;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2, the View being taken from the direction indicated by the arrow in the latter figure; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view on a smaller scale of the lower end of the charge elevator and of certain parts associated with it.

I 0 designates a Y gun of the type shown in my aforesaid application, having a casing II which forms a firing chamber from which two barrels l2, I2 extend. l3, l3 designate sleeve slidably mounted on these barrels.

The arbors comprise tubular stems 20 which fit into the gun barrels. Their inner ends are closed, as at 2i (Fig. 1), and curved charge receiving'trays 22 are fixed to the outer ends. The edges 23 of these trays are straight and normal to the axes of the stems 20. Aiiixed to the bottom of each tray is a locking clip 24 extending from one of its ends and having a hooked end 25. '26 is a similar clip extending from the other end of the tray and having a hooked end 27. This clip 26 is slidably mounted on the tray so that its hooked end maybe moved to the position in which it is indicated by dotted lines at 21A in 'Fig. 3 when a charge 30 is first deposited on the tray in the position .indicated at 30C in Fig. 3. The charges are of cylindrical form and have end flanges 3i. After a charge has been deposited on a tray it is moved laterally to bring one of its end flanges under the hooked end 2'5 of the clip 24. Then the clip 26 is moved inwardly to bring its hooked end 27 over the flange 3| at the other end of the charge, after which the clip 26 is fastened in place by a thumb nut 28. The charge is thus locked firmly onto the tray.

40, 40 designate a pair of inclined guide rails secured to brackets 41 at their lower ends and to brackets 42 at their upper ends. 43 is a car slidably mounted on these guides. The car has a semi-cylindrical surface 44 for supporting a charge, a straight edge 45 parallel with the axis of the surface 44 and an end flange 46.

In Figs. 4 and 6 the car 43 is shown at the lower end of guide rails 40. In this position its surface 44 is alined with charges 30A, 30B supported on rails 32 so that the charge 30A may be slid onto the car until its end abuts the flange. This limits the movement of the charge onto the car and insures its proper lateral alinement with the tray 22 on the sleeves or stems i 3.

The car is then raised by means of a cable 41 and a Windlass 48 on bracket 42 to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, in which position it is held by a latch 49. An arbor has been placed in the gun barrel by hand, and if the edge 23 of its tray 22 is not in alinement with the edge 45 of the car 43, the first efiect of this operation will be to adjust the arbor angularly to insure proper alinement. For example, if the proximate edge of the tray is initially in the position shown in dotted lines at 23A in Fig. 5, the arbor will be rotated until the edges 23 and 45 are alined. Then a charge, such as that indicated at 30C in Fig. 2, is rolled out of the car 43 onto the tray 22 and attached to the latter in the manner perviously described. The car may then be lowered and the gun fired and the operation repeated.

said tray having an edge offset from and normal to the axis of the stem; a car adapted to hold'a cylindrical charge said car having; an; e'dge parallel to the axis of, the charge thereon; means 7 for moving the car to said tray to bring saidedge arbor having a cylindrical stem fitting the barrel and angularly rotatable therein and a charge receiving trayon the outer end of said stem, said tray having an edge offset from and normal to v 5 the axis of the stem, a car adapted to' hold a cylindrical charge, said car having an edge par allel to the axis of the charge'thereon, inclined guides arranged todirect the movement of the car, means for moving the. car on said guides to 10 said-tray toabring saidtedge ofthe,vcar into con- =tactfwithfsaidedge of the tray whereby the movement of the car is utilized to rotate the stem of of the car into contact with said edge of the'tray whereby the movement of the car is utilized I v h t ay rotate the stem of the'arbor to aline saidedge's l6- I n i n Wlthg gun barrel and an of th car and of the tray, 7 v arbor, having a cylindrical stem fitting the barrel jmthe arbor to aline said edges of the car and of 2. In combination with a gun tair'erari'a'a ja dan ar y rota a .thereilrr and i e 1 arbor having a cylindrical ste'nr'fitting thebari lvln tray 0n the outer end of said stem, Sald' rel and angularly rotatable therein and acharge' receiving tray on the outer end of said stem, saidtray having an edge offset from? and normal to the axis of the stem and :a. fixedclip extendi'ng from one end of :the tray having'ja hooked end adapted to engage a rim onfonejend 0f, the

charge, a slidable clip on the other end of ,the tray havingva hooked end-adaptedto-engage a rim on the other end of the charge, a car adapted to hold a cylindrical charge said car having an edge parallel to the axis. of =the chargeithere on, means for positioning the chargeon the car to clear the hooked-end of the fixed clip, on -the tray, means forimovlngthe car to said tray to bring said edge of the carinto contact with said edge of the tray whereby the movement of the car is utilized to rotate the stem of the arborto aline said edges of the car and of the tray. V, V 3. In combination with a gun barrel and an tray having an edge ofiset'from and normal to go 'the axis of'the stem and a fixed clip extending ifrom cm; rend 01,;the gtray having a hooked end a a t d tozen ag i ii' on o e e of the .charge, a slidable" clip on-the outerend of the .tra y' having a hookedfend adapted to engage: a

' rimon the other end of the charge 'a capadaptfig to hold; a cylindrical charge,- said'car having an edge parallel to'the axis; of .thevcharge there:- on; means for positioning the charge" on the car to; clear theh oked-endof the clip on the tray,

go inclined guidesarrahged; to direct the'movement' oi the par means for moving the car on said guides to said'tray-to'bring said edge of the: car into' contact -withgsaid edge fof the tray; whereby v theymovement of; the car is utilizedto 'rotate the 35 stem cfr the arbor to aline saidjedges of the car angiofthetray. a r l 7 Jv -CECI-L-RCAULKINSrI 

